Clothes-pin.



No. 656,724. Patented Aug. 28, I900.

J. F. MATTHEWS. V

CLOTHES PIN.

(Application filed May 15, 1900. (No Model.)

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D STATE PATENT FFICE.

JAMES FILLMORE MATTHEWS, OF EL RENO, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

CLOTHES 'PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,724, dated August 28, 1900.

Application filed May 15, 1900. Serial No. 16,766. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES FILLMORE MAT- THEWS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of El Reno, Canadian county, Oklahoma Territory, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to clothes-pins; and my object is to produce a device of this character which will perform its function efficiently and is of simple, strong, durable, and cheap construction.

The invention consists in its novel and peculiar construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of a clothespin embodying my invention. Fig. 2 repreresents a perspective view of the clothes-pin as engaged in holding an article upon the clothes-line, said figure showing the clothespin as rocked to one side from its ordinary vertical position under the force exerted by the wind against the article secured upon the line.

The clothes-pin is constructed of springwire bent at its middle to form the hinge coil 1, and about half-way between said coil and its ends it is bent to form the similar coils 2, the parts or arms 3 between the lastnamed coils and coil 1 converging from the former to the latter. From the inner sides of coils 2 the wire is curved to form the intersecting arms 4, so as to form an elongated opening 5 between them, said opening extending longitudinally of the pin.

Let 6 designate the line, and 7 an article placed on the line in the customary manner. It will be seen that to secure the latter in place it is only necessary to place the pin against the line with the latter in the angle 8 formed by and between hinge-coils 2, and then press downward against the pin with sufficient force to spring said coils apart, the arms 3 of course yielding from hinge-coil1 until the line and the enveloping portion of the article 7 has entered the opening 5 between curved arms 4, in which position they are reliably held by reason of the retractile action of spring-arms 3 when the pin is released. In this position the pin will sway back and forth to accommodate movement of the article on the line blown by the wind and, if necessary, will make one or more complete revolutions upon the line, and thereby prevent the article from wrapping itself around the line, as frequently occurs where the common type of clothes-pins are used, which hold the article so tightly that it has no rotatable action on the line.

This pin can be placed upon the line very quickly and as easilyand quickly removed, and if constructed of non-corrosive material or if plated with non-corrosive material can be replaced upon the line after clothes are removed without any danger of corrosion from exposure to the weather. It will be made of galvanized spring-wire in order that it may adjust itself to any size of line and if made non-corrosive will be practically indestructible, as it is not subjected to any action tending to break or wear it out.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a clothes-pin embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention I wish it to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction, or arrangement of the parts as do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope or sacrifice any of the advantages of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A clothes-pin consisting of spring-wire bent to form hinge-coil 1, the arms 3 diverging from said coil, the hinge-coils 2 at the opposite ends of said arms and normally abutting against each other, and the curved arms 4 projecting from hinge coils 2 toward the hinge-coil l and intersecting each other, said arms providing between them the elongated opening 5, closed at its upper end by the intersecting arms and at its lower end by the abutting coils 2 when the pin is not in use, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES FILLMORE MATTHEWS.

Witnesses:

A. S. LOUDERMILK, J. THEO. PAeELs. 

